Star Sydney fined $60,000 after serving 12 drinks to woman in four hours
The Sydney Star Hotel in New South Wales has been fined for serving excessive amounts of alcohol to female patrons.
The NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority lodged a complaint earlier this month alleging that a 44-year-old woman was allegedly served at least 12 alcoholic drinks in less than four hours at the Star Harbor Hotel in Sydney.
The woman was drunk, vomiting, placed in a wheelchair and escorted to the VIP area of the casino floor for examination and observation.
An investigation into the incident found that despite the woman showing signs of severe intoxication, the Star Sydney waiter continued to serve the woman alcohol. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority announced its findings to the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC), which last week fined the casino A$60,000 ($39,562) for breaching regulations.
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Star Entertainment Group, parent company of The Star Hotel Sydney, Star Gold Coast Casino and Treasury Casino, continues to maintain damage control following a multi-year investigation into its anti-money laundering safeguards.
An Australian government investigation found that Star failed to adequately protect its casinos from criminals using them to launder money. The investigation also found that Star Casinos committed fraud by attempting to conceal funds as expenses to avoid taxes.
“Frankly, this report is shocking,” NSW Independent Casino Chief Commissioner Philip Crawford said following the release of the 2022 Bell Inquiry results. "It provides evidence of a comprehensive compliance breakdown in key areas. Not only were casinos concealing huge sums of money as hotel charges, but in many cases huge sums of money escaped anti-money laundering protocols."
While The Star was found unfit to retain its casino license and fined $100 million, the government agreed to put the company on probation and allow it to update and strengthen regulatory processes to achieve compliance. Serving a woman 12 alcoholic drinks in less than four hours shows that casino operators still have a long way to go.
Responsible service of alcohol is critical
The New South Wales Liquor and Gaming Authority has welcomed the fine imposed on Sydney's Star Hotel for drunken behaviour.
Liquor and Gaming NSW believes that the responsible use of alcohol is an important responsibility of all licensees, including casino operators. We welcome the significant penalty imposed by the NICC, which highlights the seriousness of this breach. ” the regulator said.
The Star Hotel Sydney is hiring a new manager to run the venue. Last week, the casino announced the appointment of Janelle Campbell as the resort’s new general manager.
Campbell previously served as senior vice president of finance at Melco Crown Resorts, one of Macau's six casino operators.
Star Entertainment Group CEO Robbie Cooke said: “I look forward to working with Janelle on The Star Sydney’s ongoing transformation program as we pursue our ultimate goal of getting Sydney Casino back on track.” “Janelle has Strong leadership skills, experience managing large operating teams of up to 1,200 employees, and a proven track record of developing and implementing strategic business plans."
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Source: www.casino.org
